Hi Mark... wow you found the right person to ask... lol.... as I am a vet nurse, and when I got PG I had to be aware of handling cats. I handled around 4-5 different cats daily on average. When I got PG I had to find out through various GP's & infection control at a hospital about toxoplasmosis which is the disease that cats can carry and affects PG women but causing miscarriage. To get toxoplasmosis from a cat, you have to get their poo in your mouth. This has to be done on the 14th day after the cat comes in contact with the virus. If the cat has already had the virus in the past, then you don't have to worry, its a bit like chicken pox, you should only have it once. If you have contracted toxoplasmosis in the past, you won't be affected whilst PG. For the past 6 years I have been cleaning cats litter trays and handling all sorts of cats and have never been exposed to toxoplasmosis.

Having said all of that.... when I found out I was PG, I stopped cleaning all litter trays, and if our cat was particularly messy, DH would have to clean it up quickly.... and I washed my hands after handling any cats. I still handled them, & our cat Chester still slept on my lap heaps....

There is a risk, especially if you feed your cat raw meat or it hunts regularly. But its the same risk as gardening if the cats use the garden as their litter tray as well....ykwim??

sorry for the epic... I hope it helps!